Mirror
by Ringatiz
Summary: Tiz, to Ringabel, was more mysterious and unreadable than any other girl he had ever encountered. [Tiz/Ringabel]


The way Tiz had always praised and adored everyone, no matter their appearance, had always been a positive quality about him. Cheeks just slightly pink from his approving smile, eyes sparkling in bewilderment; he wasn't very hard to please, but the male never seemed to take notice of that. Beauty, to him, wasn't a feeble matter, although it was treated as it were the most important factor in the world according to Ringabel (and sometimes, Edea).

Ringabel just couldn't understand Tiz; the way he smiled oh so naïvely, the curious and questioning stare he received whenever he suspected that Ringabel was doing something he and the girls didn't approve of. The brunet would cock his head slightly to the left, a frown on his face when being inquired about his "morals as a nineteen-year-old boy". Tiz didn't know what he was missing out on, in Ringabel's opinion.

Tiz, to Ringabel, was more mysterious and unreadable than any other girl he had ever encountered.

He was too... _nice_. Too sympathetic at specific times; Tiz always had a compliment to share, and he never cared about himself when he was. Being nice wasn't a negative trait, it was a weakness. Ringabel had to acknowledge the fact that sympathy was the brunet's biggest vulnerable spot. Tiz was too clingy and friendly to leave anyone behind, and he demonstrated that by almost diving headfirst into lava to save Egil, back when they were trudging along lava-covered paths in order to reach the Fire Temple.

* * *

Although Tiz's kindness was a danger to himself, it was also rewarding at times.

The young boy would compliment everyone; no matter if they were "taken" or not. Sometimes he'd get a few giggles in reply from the girls in Florem. Occasionally, they'd laugh. Loudly. One time, Ringabel overheard a few that were _mocking_ Tiz. A young man that was probably trying to get every girl form himself, they'd say.

Ringabel had to remind himself that he, HIMSELF, was responsible for getting the girls, not Tiz. But the blond pitied Tiz for his efforts, however. But every time Ringabel snuck a glance at Tiz, he could almost see a solemn glint in the brunet's eyes.

Ringabel could still recall that afternoon when Tiz had decided to take it upon himself to give him a little laugh. Maybe a blush. That old mirror that hung from the floral wallpaper in Florem's Inn... if you adjusted your sleeping position at just the right angle, you could see your reflection while you slept.

Every night they spent there, Ringabel would take the bottom bunk, Tiz on the top bunk, while the girls slept in a different room due to Edea's cautiousness of sharing a room "with Ringabel". And every night, without fail, the boys would stay up without sleep; partly because of the loud music and glowing neon lights, and partly because they were exchanging quiet whispers, jokes, and stories all night.

Tiz once recited something from a fairytale his mother used to tell him. He told Ringabel to position himself upwards while looking into the wall mirror. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall," he said calmly, a faint smile on his face. "Who's the prettiest of them all?"

Ringabel had to admit that he half-expected a mirrored, slightly distorted image of Edea or Agnès in the mirror, but the surface didn't change. Blinking, Ringabel stared at his own reflection for about a good, solid ten minutes before laying back down. The male questioned Tiz, but when the brunet didn't answer, Ringabel had to assume he was sleeping.

It wasn't until the next morning, when Ringabel was almost late for the daily "experience grinding", he realized that he was looking at his own reflection.

* * *

Tiz had suddenly caught a "case of depression" recently, and no amount of "Cura"s or "Esuna"s from Agnès could help him.

But Ringabel knew why.

The brunet spent so much time looking after others, he never looked after himself. He was locked in a fit of stress and it was about subjects that Tiz would refer to as "the silliest things ever". But why was he moping about his appearance now? Ringabel didn't understand the brunet's antics at all. Ringabel did admit that it was a bit childish, if not, time-consuming to be concerned about "looks" at the moment (although Ringabel was thoroughly concerned about it himself).

Another night in the Florem Inn, and this time, Tiz didn't speak a word. Too tired to climb up to the top bunk in which he usually slept him, he coiled the thin blankets around his body like a cocoon as he hoarded the bottom mattress. The younger male isolated himself from sight, sound, and touch, but Ringabel knew that the blanket couldn't muffle most sounds.

Ringabel was too worried (and exhausted) to usher Tiz into his proper bunk.

Both males didn't exchange any words at all, and the blond spent a while, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about how he could relieve his friend of the stress that haunted him. It was best to repay a favor, he thought, staring at the intricate wallpaper designs that were tattooed overhead like permanent flower-like stars.

"Hey Tiz," he whispered, barely audibly, but loud enough that he would't awake the girls that dozed off in the nearby room. He earned a shift in the blankets from below, and the blond assumed that his buddy was awake.

He didn't remind Tiz to sit up, but the odd phrase that had been recited nights before was still repeated in Ringabel's mind.

"Mirror, mirror... on the wall, who's the prettiest, kindest, and most fairest of them all?"

* * *

Tiz was up and at it the next morning, his signature smile plastered onto his face as he greeted the sleepy girls with a warm smile. The girls exchanged curious glances, but they didn't question the "depression" illness that the brunet had been suffering from the past few days.

When Ringabel awoke, Edea told him the "surprising" news, and he shrugged, dismissing her.

Tiz would still remain the oddest and most interesting person that Ringabel had ever met.


End file.
